Switch clock



Oct. 21, 1969 K. SPOHN 3,474,199

SWITCH CLOCK Filed Jan. 26. 1967 2. Sheets-Sheet 1 15/7 1 I 6 I2 I3 Z0-- 71 1 5 F I [I Fig. 2

INVENTOR KMEL SPOl/N BY Qcb ATTORNEYS Oct. 21, 1969 K. SPOHN 3,474,199

SWITCH CLOCK Filed Jan. 26, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR KmeL sPomv BY M ATTORNEYS United States Patent O Int. Cl. H01h 7/08, 43/10 U.S. Cl. 200-38 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A switch clock with a 24-hour dial driven continuously by the clockwork and with two switch-actuating members normally onnected to and driven by the 24-hour dial and adapted to be very easily adjusted by gear wheels to differenton and off-time positions relative to the dial.

The present invention relates to a switch clock which is provided with a disk forming a 24-hour dial which is continuously driven by the clockwork, and with two switchactuating members which are normally connected to and rotatable with the dial but are adjustable to different on and off-time positions which are indicated on the dial by pointers or the like.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a switch clock of the above-mentioned type which is designed so as to permit the switch-actuating members to be very easily adjusted relative to the 24-hour dial and their on and off-time positions to be very easily read on the dial. It is another object of the invention to design the switch clock so'that the control knobs for adjusting the switchactuating members may be located in different positions, for example, either on the front or rear side of the clock, so. as to permit-the clock to be installed in different housings, for example, in a control panel or the like. A further object of the invention is to design the switch clock soas to permit the on and off-time positions to be very sirnplyadjusted by axially shifting and turning a single control knob so that it is no longer necessary as in previous switch clocks to lock for riders or the like.

The above-mentioned objects are attained according to the present invention by rigidly connecting each of the switch-actuating members to a separate gear wheel and by providing a single setting shaft with a pinion thereon which may be shifted in the axial direction so as to engage with one or the other gear wheel'for turning the same, so as to readjust the times when the clock should switch the current off or on. This permits the switching times of the clock to be very easily and accurately adjusted. The setting shaft is preferably slidable automatically into'a position in which its pinion is normally in engagement with one of the gear wheels which carry the switch-actuating members. For eachposition of engagement of the pinion on the setting shaft with one or the other gear wheel a separate stop member is preferably provided. One of these stop' members may be formed by a washer or the like which is secured to the setting shaft and adapted to abut against a fixed supporting plate of the clock, while the other stop member is formed by the pinion and adapted to abut against another fixed supporting plate of the clock.

The gear wheels are preferably connected to serrated disks, the teeth of which are designed so as to permit the ice tuating members or on the gear wheels carrying these members and are designed so as to permit the gear wheels to be manually turned only in the clockwise direction. In order to insure that the serrations will act in the desired manner, that is, to permit the gear wheels to be manually turned in only one direction and to be taken along by the 24-hour dial in the other direction, these serrations are preferably provided in the form of saw teeth and the serrated disks or the gear wheels carrying the serrations on their rear sides are pressed into positive engagement with the serrations on the dial by means of springs, which are plrefirably supported by a fixed supporting plate of the c oc The switch-actuating members may be mounted on the gear wheels so as either to project in radial or axial directions therefrom. As seen from a standpoint of construction, it is of particular advantage to provide one of the gear wheels additionally with an axially projecting bearing flange on which the other gear wheel is rotatably mounted, and to secure to the free end of this bearing flange a setting disk which engages with the 24-hour dial by means of associated serrations.

These and additional features and advantages of the present invention will become more clearly apparent from the following detailed description thereof which is to be read with reference to the accompanying drawings, in Whicl1 FIGURE 1 shows, partly broken away and in section, a front view of the switch clock according to the invention;

FIGURE 2 shows a cross section which is taken along the line IIII of FIGURE 1, but without the clockwork;

FIGURE 3 shows, partly broken away, a front view of a modification of the switch clock according to the in-. vention; while FIGURE 4 shows a cross section which is taken along the line IV-IV of FIGURE 3, but likewise without the clockwork.

The switch clock as illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2 is provided with a disk 1 in the form of a 24-hour dial which is rigidly secured to one end of a tubular shaft 2 and turned by a gear wheel 3 which is secured to the other end of the tubular shaft 2 and driven continuously in a counterclockwise direction by a clockwork, not shown. This shaft 2 is rotatably mounted in a bushing 4 which is secured to a fixed supporting plate 5 of the clock. Underneath dial 1, a disk 6 is rotatably mounted on the tubular shaft 2 and provided with a bearing flange 7 which projects axially over the bushing 4 and has a gear wheel 8 secured to its free end. Between disk 6 and gear wheel 8 a gear wheel 9 is rotatably mounted on the flange 7 and pressed against disk 6 by a plate spring 10 which is supported on gear wheel 8. A further plate spring 11 which is supported on the stationary supporting plate 5 presses against gear wheel 8 which, in turn, acts upon the bearing flange 7 and thereby presses disk 6 against the dial 1.

Dial 1 and disk 6 are connected by serrations 12 in the form of saw teeth which permit disk 6 to be turned only in the clockwise direction relative to dial 1. When disk 6 is thus turned, the saw teeth 12 on disk 6 will slide along the corresponding saw teeth on dial 1 since springs 10 and 11 permit these teeth to yield in the axial direction relative to each other. The sides of disk 6 and gear wheel 9 facing each other are likewise provided for the same purpose with associated saw teeth 13.

Gear wheel 9 which serves as a switching-on wheel is provided with a switch-actuating knob 14 projecting in the axial direction toward gear wheel 8, and it is further provided with a pointer 15 which is bent around the outer edge of dial 1 and is adapted to indicate thereon the onposition of knob 14 and thus the time when the switch 21 of the clock is switched on. Gear wheel 8 serves a switching-off wheel and is provided with a switch-actuating knob 16 which projects axially toward gear wheel 9. The position of knob 16 and thus the time when switch 21 is switched off is indicated on dial 1 by a pointer 17 which is likewise bent around the outer edge of the dial and is secured to disk 6.

The two knobs 14 and 16 for switching the current on and off are operatively associated with a control disk 18 which is secured to a control shaft 19 and adapted to operate the switch 21 by means of the contactor 20 which is likewise secured to shaft 19.

Control shaft 19 is rotatably mounted in the supporting plates and 24 of the clock and provided above the dial 1 with a control knob, not shown, which permits switch 21 to be switched on or off by hand by turning the shaft 19.

For adjusting the switching-on knob 14 togetherwith gear wheel 9 and for also adjusting the switching-off knob, 16 together with gear wheel 8 to different time-positions, a pinion 22 is provided which is secured to a setting shaft 23 which is rotatable and axially slidable inthe supporting plates 5 and 24 and provided above the dial 1 with a control knob, not shown. A coil spring 25 acting at one end upon supporting plate 5 and at the other end upon pinion 22 normally maintains shaft 23 and pinion 22 in the position as shown in FIGURE 2, in which pinion 22 engages with gear wheel 9 and is held in this position by a stop washer 26 on the end of shaft 23 which then abuts against plate 5.

If the switching-on knob 14 should be adjusted to a different position, shaft 23 only needs to be turned in the direction of the arrow 27. If, however, the switching-off knob 16 is to be adjusted, shaft 23 must first be pushed in the direction of the arrow 28 against the action of coil spring 25 until pinion 22 disengages from gear wheel 9 and engages with gear wheel 8 and abuts against plate 5.

The switch clock according to the modification of the invention as illustrated in FIGURES 3 and 4 is of a similar construction as the switch clock according to FIG- URES 1 and 2. If differs from the latter, however, by the fact that the control shaft 19 and the setting shaft 23 may be operated from the rear of the clock. While the control shaft 19 can be turned only to the on or off position, the setting shaft 23 may be turned and also moved in the axial direction. Shaft 23 which carries on its outer end a control knob, not shown, is normally maintainedby coil spring 25 in the position as shown in FIGURE 4, in which pinion 22 on the other end of shaft 23 is in engagement with gear wheel 8 and abuts against the supporting plate 5. For disengaging the pinion 22 from gear wheel 8 and engaging it with gear wheel 9, the setting shaft 23 is pushed in the direction of the arrow 28 against the action of coil spring 25 until the stop washer 26 on shaft 23 abuts against the bushing 29 which is integral with the supporting plate 5.

The switch clock as illustrated in FIGURES 3 and 4 in which the clock work is likewise not shown also differs from the clock according to FIGURES 1 and 2 by the fact that the actuating knobs 14' and 16' do not project in the axial direction but in radial directions. The switch-' ing-on knob 14' is secured to gear wheel 9 and projects radially therefrom, but it is laterally offset so far toward the dial 1 that a set of saw teeth 30 on cam 14 engages with a corresponding set of saw teeth on the rear side of dial 1. These teeth on dial 1 are further in engagement with the saw teeth 31 on disk 6. The switching-off knob 16' projects in the radial direction from disk 6 which is connected to gear wheel 8. The switching-on knob 14' carries the pointer 15 and the switching-off knob 16' carries the pointer 17. These pointers, 15 and 17 are bent around the outside of dial 1 toward the front thereof and may therefore be clearly seen on this dial. The saw teeth between dial 1 andthe switching-on knob 14, or disk 6 are designed as in FIGURES 1 and 2 so as only to permit a rotation of disk 6 and knob 14 in the clockwise direction. i 1

Although the invention has been illustrated and 'de'- scribed with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that it is in no way limited to the details of such embodiments but'is capable of numerous modifications as would be obvious to one with normal skill in the pertinent technology. Thus, forex-j,

ample, the switch mechanism according to the invention may also be made of a very small size andused, for ex.-.

ample, in connection with .a wrist watch since the setting shaft may be easily mounted at any desired point and in the most suitable position in the particular apparatus.

Having thus fully disclosed my invention, whatI claim is: V 1.. A switch clock comprising a 24-hour dial, a clockwork for driving said dial continuously in one direction, a switch, a pair of gear wheels mounted coaxially to sa d dial, a pair of switch-actuating members each having a knob projecting from one of said gear wheels, one of said knobs adapted to move said switch to the on position and the other knob adapted to move said switch to the off position, connecting means normally connecting saiddial to said gear wheels for continuously driving the same, adjust ing means for turning each of said gear wheels together with its switch-actuating knob relative to said dial so as to vary its time-position, said adjusting means comprising a single setting shaft and a pinion secured thereto operatively associated with both of said gear wheels and adapted to be moved alternately into engagement with one of said gear wheels while being disengaged from the other gear wheel, and a pointer on each of said gear wheels for indicating the on and off-time positions of said switch-actuating knobs on said dial, and further comprising a bearing flange secured to and axially projecting from one of said gear wheels and rotatably supporting the other gear wheel, a setting disk secured to the free end of said flange and carrying one of said switch-actuating knobs, and associated saw-tooth serrations on said setting disk and said dial adapted to interengage with each other when said setting 12/ 1939 Hjulian. 3,095,485 6/1963 Rowe. 3,130,279 4/1964 Holzer. 3,234,814 2/ 1966 Buckeridge et a1.

H. O. JONES, Primary Examiner 

